A Squared
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2001
- Posts
- 3,006
I'm not aware that bad weather keeps them from using the TARS (Tethered Aerostat Radar System) It wasn't particularly windy, or stormy, just low clouds.
Yeah, that's what I was thinking, surely there'd be parts from the other plane scattered around, even if the bulk of it stayed together and sank.
That seems unlikely, the DC-10 was identified as a Fed Ex plane which was approaching to land as Mobile downtown. The investigators examined the plane and found no damage.
Good thought, but the investigators seem to have ruled that out. they did paint analysis on all the red items they found and compared with the paint transfer, they didn't come up with any matches, suggesting that the source of the paint was not the cargo. Plus, most of the red paint was on the *outside* of the airplane
I wouldn't think that was likely. The wreckage was found about 8 nm from the airport on a magnetic bearing of 031, that would put it right on V454, which was the airway he was told to join by departure. If you look at the approach plate for Mobile downtown the highest obstruction in that direction is 517 ft MSL which would mean that he would have to be 2500 ft low but appear to ATC radar to be right on altitude. Not impossible, but unlikely, plus 8 nm would put him well beyond the 517 ft obstruction. There is a 2000 ft obstruction, but it appears to me that it would be well to the east fo the crash site. I would imagine that any towers in the area would be examined for damage.
Interesting thought, very interesting. The accident report mentions that one of the red items that was tested for a paint match was a piece from an unmanned aerial vehicle .... ummmm UAV? What UAV? the report doesn't say where the UAV piece came from, nor *why* they were testing it..........Hmmmmm, it would be interesting to know what *really* went on in the investigation.
